It Was Impossible for Jesus to Sin

[RDKirk]

Then, you could not say that Jesus was tempted like us. It's impossible to be truly tempted if it is truly impossible to fall into that temptation.

No, not the case.

That's like saying that nobody could shoot at Superman because the bullets would just bounce off.

Well, yeah, bullets would never penetrate Superman, but bad guys still shot bullets at him.

Temptation would never penetrate Jesus, but Satan did shoot temptations at Him.

Remember that from Satan's point of view, God Incarnate was a new thing. Satan could not know exactly what God Incarnate actually meant until he ran some tests.

 

[Yekcidmij]

No, not the case.

That's like saying that nobody could shoot at Superman because the bullets would just bounce off.

Well, yeah, bullets would never penetrate Superman, but bad guys still shot bullets at him.

Temptation would never penetrate Jesus, but Satan did shoot temptations at Him.

That doesn't seem to be much of a temptation. It looks like you're saying he was "tempted," because that's what the gospels say so we have to affirm it, but he was not REALLY "tempted."

 

[Yekcidmij]

He did not struggle to be righteous like you and I do.

So it seems you're saying he wasn't really human... Everyone else has to struggle with doing right, but along comes someone who claims to identify with us yet doesn't share in some of our fundamental struggles. So he doesn't struggle like we do, and he doesn't know what it means to overcome temptation like we do.

 

[DamianWarS]

I was reading through Berkhof this evening and came upon this:

"We ascribe to Christ not only natural, but also moral, integrity or moral perfection, that is sinlessness. This means not merely that Christ could avoid sinning, and did actually avoid it, but also that it was impossible for Him to sin because of the essential bond between the human and the divine natures."

I probably did not adequately grasp this before. Because Jesus is God, it was impossible for Him to sin. He did not struggle to be righteous like you and I do. It was the very nature of Christ to be righteous.

the disciples and early followers of Christ that formed the early church approached christology first through his humanity and then wrestled with his divinity as it was his humanity they were first introduced to. Our christology approach today tends to start with Jesus as God and then we wrestle with his humanity. So it is easy for us to say Jesus cannot sin because he is God. In this view a sinless Jesus tends to have less of an impact because it's no big surprise to say God can do it. I would suggest it was far more significant for one of these early followers to say Jesus was sinless but we have lost that value today.

 

[oldrunner]

[QUOTE="mukk_in, post: 73123590, member: 251216"]Being conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), it was impossible for Christ to sin as He didn't have the sin nature in Him. Although, we're told that He was tempted like us in every possible way (Hebrews 4:15), the actual temptations of Christ (Matthew 4:1-11) were on a much higher level. He was tempted to test the Lord, gain worldly power etc., as opposed to what we'd call sins like adultery, lust, etc. Peace in Christ .[/QUOTE]

This^^^. Satan himself temped Jesus. He don't mess with small fry like us.

The cool thing is once we get the resurrection body, we will hate broccoli too. (1st Cor 15)

 

[Senkaku]

I was reading through Berkhof this evening and came upon this:

"We ascribe to Christ not only natural, but also moral, integrity or moral perfection, that is sinlessness. This means not merely that Christ could avoid sinning, and did actually avoid it, but also that it was impossible for Him to sin because of the essential bond between the human and the divine natures."

I probably did not adequately grasp this before. Because Jesus is God, it was impossible for Him to sin. He did not struggle to be righteous like you and I do. It was the very nature of Christ to be righteous.

1 john 4:2-3 simply put, it is not biblical to believe that. It negates the sacrifice.

 

[Greg J.]

It depends on what a person means by "impossible."

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13, 1984 NASB)

Scripture says God is unable to sin here, but it is not a reference to a lack of the power to sin, it is a reference to him never choosing to do something outside of his nature.

He knows everything, including the deeds that are outside of his own nature, so he has the power to do any of them (Jeremiah 32:27). God, the Father and God, the Son, did/do not have less free will than we do. But God, who knows himself (and all the future), never will have the will to do anything outside his own nature, and nothing can make him do something against his will.

Scripture illustrates that when God has set his will to do something "and will not change his mind," his choice is like a law of nature; that is, nothing can resist or alter it. From a human perspective, we can say it is impossible.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

Everyone else has to struggle with doing right, but along comes someone who claims to identify with us yet doesn't share in some of our fundamental struggles.

The man who always relents to temptation is the one who doesn't share in your struggles. The reed bending in the wind never feels the full might of that wind.

To say that Christ could not have sinned does not mean that he did not feel the temptation. It only means that the temptation had no power over him. Sinning was not in his nature, because he had a power in his character that always tipped the scales in favor of not sinning. Otherwise, he would have sinned.

One cannot claim that he was forever on the tipping point, just a breath away from falling to sin. We know this, because he never sinned. It would be like claiming that dice aren't weighted, when they always roll the same number. If there were no overpowering element in his character that guaranteed sinlessness, then he would have occasionally sinned. If his inclination to sin versus not sin were a ratio of one to one hundred, then we would expect him to sin one percent of the time... and we would expect to go to Hell. The only way for him to have been utterly perfect is for that nature to be infinitely lopsided, in which case sinning was impossible.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

So it seems you're saying he wasn't really human... Everyone else has to struggle with doing right, but along comes someone who claims to identify with us yet doesn't share in some of our fundamental struggles. So he doesn't struggle like we do, and he doesn't know what it means to overcome temptation like we do.

Though fully human, Christ did not struggle like we do, because He was not born with the sinful nature we are born with. Though in the flesh, His flesh knew not sin. So no, the struggle would not be the same, temptation would not be the same. This may be a poor example, and forgive me if it is, I am tired today, but this is an example between sinners, people without a fully divine nature. Take for instance the person who has never touched illegal drugs and the person who has but quit using them. Now along comes equal temptation to both of them, for the person who has never touched them, the temptation is far less of a temptation. The person who has used illegal drugs is tempted greater, the desire is greater, having the past experiences of taking pleasure and indulging their sinful desires for escape from reality and pains. A similar example could probably be given using the example of sex. It is a difference between just knowledge and experiential knowledge.

 

[mukk_in]

[QUOTE="mukk_in, post: 73123590, member: 251216"]Being conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), it was impossible for Christ to sin as He didn't have the sin nature in Him. Although, we're told that He was tempted like us in every possible way (Hebrews 4:15), the actual temptations of Christ (Matthew 4:1-11) were on a much higher level. He was tempted to test the Lord, gain worldly power etc., as opposed to what we'd call sins like adultery, lust, etc. Peace in Christ .

This^^^. Satan himself temped Jesus. He don't mess with small fry like us.

The cool thing is once we get the resurrection body, we will hate broccoli too. (1st Cor 15)[/QUOTE] Sorry, duplicate.

 

[mukk_in]

[QUOTE="mukk_in, post: 73123590, member: 251216"]Being conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18), it was impossible for Christ to sin as He didn't have the sin nature in Him. Although, we're told that He was tempted like us in every possible way (Hebrews 4:15), the actual temptations of Christ (Matthew 4:1-11) were on a much higher level. He was tempted to test the Lord, gain worldly power etc., as opposed to what we'd call sins like adultery, lust, etc. Peace in Christ .

This^^^. Satan himself temped Jesus. He don't mess with small fry like us.

The cool thing is once we get the resurrection body, we will hate broccoli too. (1st Cor 15)[/QUOTE]
Amen.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

To add another thought, people often take the hyper-literal approach to interpreting "tempted in every way" and it fails. For example, was Jesus tempted by internet pornography? Well no, it was not even in the realm of possible temptations.

 

[devin553344]

I was reading through Berkhof this evening and came upon this:

"We ascribe to Christ not only natural, but also moral, integrity or moral perfection, that is sinlessness. This means not merely that Christ could avoid sinning, and did actually avoid it, but also that it was impossible for Him to sin because of the essential bond between the human and the divine natures."

I probably did not adequately grasp this before. Because Jesus is God, it was impossible for Him to sin. He did not struggle to be righteous like you and I do. It was the very nature of Christ to be righteous.

I agree, Jesus being created from the Holy Ghost meant that his spirit was the Holy Ghost and Holy Ghost cannot sin. It's impossible. [Matthew 1:18] I see it as the nature of the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost three separate personages but one essence. In other words the Father and Son share the same holy spirit.

I should probably point out that when I used to be Mormon, they taught us that Jesus could have failed and if he did another would have taken his place. Which is degrading towards Gods divinity, something I see as blasphemy now.

 

[Loren T.]

This^^^. Satan himself temped Jesus. He don't mess with small fry like us.

The cool thing is once we get the resurrection body, we will hate broccoli too. (1st Cor 15)

Amen.[/QUOTE]
If Satan isn't the one tempting us, who is?

 

[FenderTL5]

Interesting.

I'll have to read/study some more BUT, my first inclination is to say that if it were "impossible" for Jesus as God/man to sin then mankind still lacks the mediator between God and man

 

[Loren T.]

Well, whether Jesus was peccable or impeccable is an age old question that we probably won't answer on an internet form. But, I say, if he didn't as least desire to sin, it makes no sense to say he was tempted like us.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I'll propose a little argument people are welcome to try to refute.

Jesus said of Himself; "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)

In Hebrews 6:18 it is written; "that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us."

As God the Son, God incarnate, fully God and fully man, could Christ have possibly given into the temptation to lie? I am gonna have to say no.

 

[devin553344]

Well, whether Jesus was peccable or impeccable is an age old question that we probably won't answer on an internet form. But, I say, if he didn't as least desire to sin, it makes no sense to say he was tempted like us.

What if I can explain why it does make sense, while Jesus was God and therefore perfect and incapable of sinning, Satan was not perfect, and probably not capable of understanding Jesus couldn't sin.

Satan tempted him because it's simply the nature of evil to do that and Satan is evil. To stop salvation or attempt it. To stop Good is the nature of the devil. It's simply in his nature to do evil. Opposite of God's will.

You may have implied that the devil wouldn't wast his time with something impossible. Then I think your mistake there is thinking the devil is omniscient. See definition:

Definition of omniscient
1 : having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight

• an omniscient author

God is the only one omniscient, and Jesus is God. Jesus is also Holy and Holy means the opposite of sin. See the definition of Holy:

Definition of holy
holier; holiest
1 : exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness

 

[RDKirk]

To add another thought, people often take the hyper-literal approach to interpreting "tempted in every way" and it fails. For example, was Jesus tempted by internet pornography? Well no, it was not even in the realm of possible temptations.

A quick point of that: There are three scriptural categories of sin:

1. Desires of the flesh
2. Desires of the eye
3. Pride of life

All sin falls into one of those three categories, today as in the past.

Satan attempted temptations of Jesus in all three categories:

1. Tempted to satisfy His hunger: Desire of the flesh
2. Tempted to gain all the kingdoms shown to Him: Desire of the eye
3. Tempted to taking a shortcut to demonstrating that He is the Messiah: Pride of life.

Even when we go back to the Garden of Eden, we find those three categories again described, all contained in the temptation to eat the fruit of the tree:

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food (desire of the flesh) and pleasing to the eye (desire of the eye), and also desirable for gaining wisdom (pride of life), she took some and ate it.

 

[RDKirk]

What if I can explain why it does make sense, while Jesus was God and therefore perfect and incapable of sinning, Satan was not perfect, and probably not capable of understanding Jesus couldn't sin.

"God Incarnate" --"the Word made flesh" was a new thing, unheard of, incredible. I doubt Satan had ever understood the scriptures as prophesying such a thing. He did not expect the Messiah to be God Incarnate any more than anyone else.

And when it happened, what exactly did it mean? Satan considered creation and everything in it to be his domain. What did it actually mean that God had "made made himself lower than the angels?" Did that mean the Son had made Himself subject to Satan?

An inquiring mind--Satan's--wanted to know!